SABC appoints Graham Welch as acting general manager for TV to temporarily replace Maijang Sam Mpherwane who left.

The SABC has appointed Graham Welch as the acting general manager for TV to temporarily replace Maijang Sam Mpherwane who has had enough and left the SABC at the end of July.

The SABC made no public announcement of Graham Welch's appointment to temporarily head up the SABC's television division.

Graham Welch is the SABC's general manager for editorial policy.

Graham Welch has now been appointed acting GM for TV, but is actually currently busy touring South Africa on a listening tour through various provinces to interact with people about the SABC's editorial policies that urgently needs to be updated.

Since August the SABC's already struggling TV division is even more rudderless, lacking the full focus of two permanent executives in the beleaguered public broadcaster's two top TV positions.

Nomsa Philiso, appointed the SABC's TV boss in August 2016 in the highest ranking TV position is now serving as acting SABC CEO, with Maijang Sam Mpherwane who served in the second highest position who is gone.

The leadership vacuum within the SABC's TV division once again leaves South Africa's TV industry fearful and wondering about what's happening at the public broadcaster.

The SABC is struggling with various massive challenges ranging from falling TV ratings and diminishing audience share to being unable to pay all local South African producers and content suppliers.

Sex, sport, nudity, violence and scheduling are hot topics of discussion as deadline for the public submissions approach for SABC policies review.

Whether you love the SABC - or not - Valentine's Day, 14 February, is the deadline for South Africans, organisations, and any interested parties to send their submissions to South Africa's beleaguered public broadcaster to make it better and which is reviewing its editorial policy.

So far sex, nudity, sport, violence and even TV scheduling have been hot topics as points for discussion as the deadline for public submissions for the public broadcaster's review of editorial policies approach.

SABC news and current Affairs programming at both an operational and policy level have so far come under scrutiny, with issues around editorial independence, "positive" coverage and urban bias generating discussion at the SABC's nationwide public hearings.

"The SABC and the decisions taken by its staff are subject to scrutiny in the way few other institutions and no other media organisations experience," says Graham Welch, the SABC's general manager for editorial policy and governance.

"Whether there is a decision to can a programme or the announcement of a resignation, one thing is guaranteed – the generation of heated debate and acres of column space."

"Often the passion that commentators, politicians, activists and members of the general public bring to these conversations is informed by the critical role the SABC plays as South Africa's national public broadcaster. Many of the most intense conversations about the SABC relate directly to decisions that are taken about content carried on SABC platforms."

"These content decisions are taken within a context. This context includes guidelines that provide a framework for the way in which decisions around content, whether controversial or not, are taken. These guidelines are collectively known as the editorial policies of the SABC," says Graham Welch.

The SABC is currently reviewing its editorial policies - a process which began in June last year. So far the SABC has hosted 15 public hearings through South Africa. The SABC will revise its policies, but first release it for public comment.

"The editorial policies that are under review currently define the framework within which all decisions about the content carried by the SABC need to be taken," says Graham Welch.

"They deal with general programming, news and current affairs, language, local content, universal service and access, religious programming and education."

The SABC's editorial policies can be found at www.sabc.co.za/editorialpolicy and all submissions should be sent to editorial@sabc.co.za. Submissions to the SABC can also be posted to Editorial Policy, Pvt Bag X1, Auckland Park, 2006.